


Always, Always

by WhiskeysWorks



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, I wrote this right after the McCree short from a while back, M/M, Post-Recall, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24730234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskeysWorks/pseuds/WhiskeysWorks
Summary: “What are you going to do?”Jesse huffed a dry laugh to himself, sitting down heavily on the bed. He had only given the most vague answer he could.“Business to attend to,” he repeated to himself out loud, eyes drifting to the ceiling. There was always business to attend to, but nothing that was truly vital. Just time-passes, something Jesse could amuse himself with and call it justice.The old gang, getting back together. Some familiar faces would be there, but there would be more that weren’t. Jesse had paid his time, suffered his losses. If he was being honest with himself, there were some wounds that still weren’t healed.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Genji Shimada
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	Always, Always

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is probably a year or so old now, so it's been sitting a while. I'm excited for Overwatch 2 so I want to explore the lore some more with fics and this counts, right? Hope you enjoy it anyways!

Jesse hadn’t been to Deadlock Gorge in a long time. Not much had changed. The diner was still a mess, the coffee still tasted like boiled dirt, and the apple pie was still just as gelatinous as he remembered. When the train tracks exploded, it wasn’t a surprise. He’d seen the wires and poorly hidden charges when he walked in to the Panorama, paid them no mind. Jesse goal wasn’t saving the train, after all. It had something he wanted on it too.

He was expecting the wreck and had cleared everyone out beforehand. That tip had to come from someone, and he knew Ashe better than she thought. Better than she would have liked. She was never one to shy away from a good tip. Of course there had been a shoot out—he had expected that too—but his end goal was reached.

Seeing Ashe had been interesting. She hadn’t changed. Deadlock hadn’t changed.

Echo was back online, and she could do what she wanted, do what she was programed to. Saving the world and all that. Overwatch sure as hell could use her help. They could use all the help they could get.

That hadn't changed either.

Jesse’s brows furrowed lower as he thought, the engine of Ashe’s hoverbike a steady rumble keeping him in the present. He’d done his part. The old motel he was staying at came into view, the neon lights the only thing other than the stars that had a glow in the otherwise empty desert. Jesse parked and went to his room, hat low over his eyes despite the time. Echo’s question was still lingering in his mind as he took off his belt, hat, and boots.

_What are you going to do?_

Jesse huffed a dry laugh to himself, sitting down heavily on the bed. He had only given the most vague answer he could.

“Business to attend to,” he repeated to himself out loud, eyes drifting to the ceiling. There was always business to attend to, but nothing that was truly vital. Just time-passes, something Jesse could amuse himself with and call it justice. He didn’t really have anything better to do, and yet, Overwatch was something he couldn’t bring himself to accept yet.

The old gang, getting back together. Some familiar faces would be there, but there would be more that weren’t.

Jesse had paid his time, suffered his losses. If he was being honest with himself, there were some wounds that still weren’t healed. Some that he wasn’t sure could heal. Deadlock Gorge had only tugged at one of his biggest, cracking the surface and making it bleed again.

_Damn ingrate._

_Old man._

Jesse shook his head and lit a cigar. That was something he wanted to keep dead and buried.

Seeing the old gang had only made it worse. They had been his family, after all. A damn shitty one, but family all the same when he’d had nothing else. He and Ashe had shared some good times, enough to remember a select few fondly. But there was always regret when it came to Deadlock. Guilt when it came to Blackwatch. Reluctance now with Overwatch. Winston’s message had been a surprise; the fact that they wanted Jesse back at all was even more so.

He chewed on his cigar, debating whether or not to view the call again. It had been burned to memory after the fifteenth time, but Jesse still watched it. Maybe it was some hope he was holding on to. Hope for a place to go to, hope for some sort of familiarity again. Jesse watched the call again. He wondered how many others had been contacted again. He debated again. Tossed the tablet aside again. He wasn’t ready yet. That’s why he had gone to get Echo. They needed her, not him. Not yet.

The cowboy sighed heavily, putting out his cigar and getting ready for bed.

-

The next few days were met with more traveling. Jesse listened to the radio as he made his way through Route 66, the atmosphere reminding him of his younger days. He had done the exact same thing twenty years ago. Jesse would have laughed at the parallels if he wasn’t feeling so apprehensive. There was a vague, nagging feeling that wouldn’t leave him alone, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He’d left the main road because of it, decided to camp out in a remote town for a bit.

Jesse bunkered down at a little place that could hardly pass for a hotel, making sure his gun was on him at all times. Staying inside made him antsy, so he went back out on the hoverbike. Found a place he could shoot and let off some steam without bothering anyone. Still, that feeling followed him. It was something he could place now, something Jesse was familiar with. He was being watched.

The cowboy shot and waited, figuring he could take care of things discreetly if someone wanted to pick a fight. Probably Deadlock, it had been enough time for them to get themselves back together. It was dusk before Jesse heard footsteps, light and barely detectable. They came up from behind, stopping after a moment. He cocked Peacekeeper’s hammer, the click of it resonating in the otherwise quiet night.

“Yanno, if you really wanted to sneak up on me, you could’ve done a better job of it. I expected more from you, Ashe,” Jesse sighed, whipping around only to find someone leaning against the hoverbike. It wasn’t Ashe. The cowboy’s hand lowered, eyes widening in disbelief.

“Genji...?”

“You know, for being a trained black ops agent, you are quite easy to trace.” The tone was fond, amused, even. Genji’s green visor flashed as he looked up, arms still crossed over his chest.

“What...Are you doin’ here?” Jesse asked cautiously, not sure if he wanted to believe what was happening.

“Oh, I just heard about a train wreck and Deadlock, then remembered the old habits of a certain cowboy I know.”

Jesse took a shallow breath in, brows furrowing.

“Maybe I should ask why you’re here.”

Genji straightened at that, arms falling to his side as he walked towards Jesse. The cowboy couldn’t help but take him in. He looked so different, and yet, the walk, the voice, the mannerisms were all...Him.

“Did you not hear about the recall?”

“Oh, I heard alright.”

“And? You do not plan to take it?”

“Do you plan on takin’ it?” Jesse shot back, avoiding the question. He was avoiding a lot of things at the moment.

“I already did.” Genji was in front of him now, hands at his sides. Relaxed in a way Jesse couldn’t make himself feel.

“So, may I ask you again if you plan on taking up the call?” the cyborg continued, something defiant in his voice that sparked memories. Memories Jesse did not want to resurface. Not now, not yet, not like this.

“Is that why you’re here? To bring me back?”

“Yes.” Blatant and direct, surprising Jesse.

“You are not the first person I have talked to about this. And certainly not the most troublesome.”

“But why me...?” Jesse asked softly, Genji huffing a laugh.

“I think you know why.”

The cowboy sighed, eyes downcast. Of course he knew. Or he thought he knew. But he didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to be wrong.

“Overwatch could use the help, especially with an old member coming back,” Genji murmured, Jesse scoffing.

“I was never apart of Overwatch, never wanted to be.”

“So is that a no?”

Jesse was quiet, Genji’s stance shifting. He moved even closer, too close to be casual. Too close after seven years.

“Overwatch needs you too, Jesse. You are more valuable than you realize, to more than just Overwatch...” Genji reached out, and Jesse didn’t pull back. His metal hand was taken once more, held delicately as the cyborg ran a thumb over the divots.

“I’m asking you to come with me.”

“I know...”

“So, will you?”

“I can’t give you that answer yet,” Jesse whispered. His chest felt tight, something in his mind not letting him cross that line just yet. Genji was standing in front of him, asking if he would go back to Overwatch with him. And he wasn’t saying yes. He wasn’t saying anything.

“I understand. Perhaps we should go back to your motel, hm?” Genji offered softly, and it was so unlike the Genji that Jesse used to know. And yet, it wasn’t. Genji was always soft at times like this, when Jesse was unsure and confused about what to do. Genji was always there, somehow, to help him too.

“Yeah, sounds good...” the cowboy murmured, not questioning how Genji knew about that. If he could find Jesse in the middle of nowhere after seven years, the motel part seemed insignificant. Genji nodded, then headed back towards the hoverbike.

“Mind if I hitch a ride, then?”

“No—Wait, how did you get here?”

“I’ve done my fair share of walking over the years,”the ninja told him noncommittally. Jesse only hummed in response. He swung his leg over the seat and waited, feeling Genji maneuver himself up behind him. Arms wrapping around his waist securely and a firm weight leaning against his back. The cowboy took a breath and fired up the engine, taking them back to the main road with a cloud of dust.

Genji’s arms would squeeze around him tighter when he took a sharp turn or went faster, only derailing what little focus Jesse had even further. They made it back to the motel by the time the night had fully set in, quietly going to Jesse’s room. Genji looked around for a moment, though Jesse could tell he was just busying himself to give the cowboy some time. Jesse sighed heavily and took off his hat, setting it on a bedpost.

“So. What made you think comin’ here to find me was a good idea?” he finally spoke up, breaking the silence that had long since become uncomfortable.

“Call it intuition,” Genji replied easily, taking a few steps further into the room.

“Intuition, huh?”

“Jesse. I understand this is a shock to you, and you may not want to come back—"

“You’re right! Maybe I don’t want to be part of that damn place again! Maybe I don’t want to go back to memories I thought I left behind! But here they are, hunting me down day after day! Things I thought I’d left gone and buried, comin’ back and messing with my head again!” Jesse interrupted, voice raised but not quite a shout. He was too tired to really be angry. Hurt was a whole different story, though.

Genji was quiet for a long moment, the cowboy looking down and rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“I’m so tired of the past hauntin’ me, Gen. I’m tired of things comin’ back that I don’t want any part of. I did my time there...Both of us did,” he murmured. There was a soft hiss, Jesse looking up to find umber eyes gazing back at him. Softer than he remembered, wiser and more aged. A familiar face, paler, with a few more scars and lines.

“I know. I’m not asking you to make a decision now. I just ask that you think about it.”

Gentle hands took his own without an ounce of hesitation as he squeezed them lightly.

“I know this is hard for you. I won’t try and force you to do anything. I just want you to know that I would like you to come back, Jesse. Overwatch needs you, but I need you more.”

Jesse cursed softly under his breath, closing his eyes as he felt a finger slide under his chin.

“It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to not know what to say. I’m just glad I found you again,” Genji whispered, his hand going up further to cup Jesse’s cheek.

“Gen...I can’t...”

“It’s okay.”

Genji stretched up to place a little kiss on Jesse’s forehead. Jesse felt like he was about to break. He didn’t know what to do.

“I’ll leave you be for tonight. I’m sorry for dropping in so unexpectedly. I know it’s a lot,” Genji murmured, shifting to stand. Jesse’s hand shot out to take hold of his wrist before could get too far.

“Please stay...”

Jesse barely recognized his own voice, barely heard it either, but Genji paused. Turned and gathered the cowboy in his arms, pulling him to his chest. Jesse could hear the soft thump of his heart beat.

-

He woke up the next morning groggily, though he felt good. Genji had slept on the couch—still was—Jesse standing and stretching quietly. The cowboy watched him for a moment, the steady rise and fall of his chest, body splayed somewhat haphazardly over the cushions. Genji always did find the strangest positions to fall asleep in. Jesse shook himself, then went into the bathroom to clean up.

It was out to the balcony next, a cigar in hand and smoke rising from it already. He watched the sun rise. Thought about Genji’s offer, his confession. It had never occurred to Jesse that anyone would still hold such strong feelings for him, much less someone like Genji. Jesse had never talked himself out of loving the ninja. Just convinced himself he’d forgotten and hoped to leave it that way. Genji coming back only reminded him again. And it wasn’t a bad feeling.

For the first time in years, Jesse woke up feeling excited for a new day. There was the prospect of something waiting for him later, something good, if he decided he wanted to take up the offer.

Jesse startled a bit when a hand touched his back, though he relaxed when he recognized who it belonged to. Genji looked up at him, hair mussed and eyes tired. There was a spark of happiness to them that Jesse hadn’t seen in a long, long time.

“Good morning.”

“‘Mornin’. Pretty sunrise, huh?”

Genji hummed as he turned his gaze outward, Jesse stubbing out his cigar.

“It is quite beautiful.”

“You think it’ll be just as nice in Gibraltar?” Jesse asked, the cyborg’s stare snapping back to him.

“Jesse, you mean...”

“I never could say no to you, hon. ‘Sides, Overwatch doesn’t sound half bad. We can be the good guys for once.”

Genji blinked, then smiled like the sun itself. He threw himself at Jesse, squeezing him in a hug and burying his head in the cowboy’s chest. Jesse wrapped his arms around Genji gently, accepting it like he used to. Like he could learn to again.

“You really will come back with me...?” Genji whispered, disbelieving but hopeful. Jesse chuckled softly.

“Yeah. Yeah, I will. I’ve been debatin’ it for a while now. Just didn’t have the motive to go before.”

“Thank you, Jesse.”

“Nah, thank you. It’s...I think we can do some good with this.”

Genji nodded, pulling back still with a smile.

“I missed you, Genji,” Jesse murmured, reaching up to trace his thumb over Genji’s chin.

“And I you, Jesse. I’m glad I found you again...”

The cowboy gave him a little grin, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“Thank you for finding me.”

“Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
